TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Plenty of people enjoy sweets like Skittles, though it’s not much of a surprise to hear that they’re not the healthiest options.
However, a new Florida bill could take those options off the table altogether.
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Last week, state Sen. Jonathan Martin filed Senate Bill 560, which would prohibit businesses in Florida from selling foods that contain certain chemical additives.
Among these additives are Yellow 5 (also known as tartrazine) and Blue 1 — both food dyes used in the popular Skittles candies, the company’s website shows.
According to the FDA, these two ingredients are used in plenty of sweets, soft drinks, cereals, and other treats that consumers may see during a trip to the grocery store.
And while both ingredients are approved by the FDA, the Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that Yellow 5 can trigger hyperactivity in some children, while Blue 1 presents a small cancer risk.
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Red 3, another synthetic food dye prohibited under this bill, was banned by the FDA last month after lab rats exposed to the chemical developed cancer. FDA officials noted that the way Red 3 caused cancer in the rats doesn’t occur in humans, though they still gave food manufacturers until January 2027 to remove the ingredient from their products.
“Some chemicals cause cancer. They have no place in our food,” Martin said on social media last week. “Period.”
The full list of prohibited additives under his bill is as follows:
- Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) — Used in beverages to stabilize fruit flavoring. BVO was officially banned by the FDA last year.
- Potassium bromate — Used to strengthen dough and give bread a whiter coloring. It’s banned in the E.U. and other countries due to causing cancer during lab rats, though researchers say it isn’t harmful in general human consumption.
- Propylparaben — Used as a preservative in food, drugs and cosmetics. Can be found in products like Weight Watchers cakes.
- Red dye 3 — Used as an artificial food dye to induce a bright red color. Can be found in products like some Publix cookies, Brach’s candy corn, and Nestle Nesquik strawberry-flavored milk.
- Blue dye 1 — Used as an artificial food dye to induce a blue color. Can be found in products like Fruit Loops cereal, Gushers Fruit Flavored Snacks, and Hershey’s Blue Moon ice cream.
- Yellow dye 5 — Used as an artificial food dye to induce a lemon-yellow color. Can be found in products like Gatorade, Vlasic pickle relish, and Doritos chips.
- Benzidine — Used to produce dyes, though it has been banned in the U.S. since the 1970s.
- Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) — Used as an antioxidant and preservative in food, cosmetics and drugs.
- Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) — Used as an antioxidant in foods containing fats.
Florida isn’t the only state pursuing these sorts of measures, though. Back in 2023, California became the first state to implement a similar ban of BVO, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3, though it gives manufacturers a 2027 deadline to remove the ingredients from products.
While Martin’s ban would ban Skittles (and many other products) as they’re currently sold in the state, it’s may not be that these candies would disappear altogether.
The European Union and many other countries have previously implemented bans or limits for additives included in the bill, and Skittles substituted their ingredients with safer alternatives, allowing the candies to continue being sold in these regions.
In Florida, SB 560 would give food manufacturers a deadline of Jan. 1, 2028, to remove these additives from their products. Failing to do so could result in major fines.
If approved, the bill itself would take effect on July 1 later this year.
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below: